If you were one of the 250,000 reported surfers visiting the Uluwatu cliff every year, then a first glance there is not much complaining. Cold drinks, hot dishes with massage and friendly people before a tropical elite surf spot that perfectly breaks a 25-foot size. What more could you ask for?
Time brings things to light and a group of concerned surfers Uluwatu expatriates resident noticed that the biggest problem here is the pollution of the beach. Uluwatu What was missing was still important basic equipment of all the world-famous beach: Working toilets and solid waste disposal and suitable liquids. Among the 50 shops and warungs / restaurants on the Uluwatu cliff facing the surf, none had proper waste disposal or treatment systems. In the past, all waste and liquid ended up in makeshift dumps in the woods near the beach or have been literally thrown off the cliff into the ocean at the end of the day. In the pre-plastic era essentially the organic garbage disposed here was negligible, but now with a quarter of a million people visiting each year, it accumulates quickly. Reports of bad odors from the cave to the beach started to become more and more frequent. Something had to be done.
Curtis Lowe is a volunteer project manager for ESRU and during a recent conversation had this to say about Uluwatu
"The biggest pollutant in Uluwatu in the past was zero, but ESRU, GUS, ROLE and dragged ecoBali recycling 40 tons of it the ravine near the beach last year and we now have a system for collecting and recycling in place. ecoBali composts waste collected and the remainder is sent to landfills government. "
" Today, the biggest pollutant should be liquid waste from kitchen sinks and toilet waste. The hose set by warungs years ago is broken and so it drains directly into a process tank into the ravine. We had a lab test the water in the pit, and the results were horrible. There were high levels of E. coli (which means that there were raw sewage in it) and also high levels of chemicals and cooking oil. Basically, the water would be someone who came into contact with her very sick. "
To build and install the liquid waste management system proposed ESRU must raise $ 50,000. To run it will cost further. As more and more attention focused on the reality of pollution, support and money from Uluwatu started to come. There is a little over a week selling a charity auction ESRU supported by industry Indonesian surf and Uluwatu Surf Villas has made more than US $ 12,000. company Surf Rip Curl has given more than $ 5,000 US to the cause ESRU by commissions off sales shirt. 11 times champion surfer world Kelly Slater auction his personal surfboard signed for AUS $ 8,000 donated to the ROLE Foundation, part of which will go to ESRU projects.
once up and running the ESRU project is an extremely useful and liquid solid waste treatment model that can spread to other popular Indonesian beaches not only for tourists but also for the generations of Indonesians as well. Hopefully the idea of a clean environment and how to do is spread not only by Uluwatu, but throughout Indonesia, too.
Finally, Lowe said, "We have made great progress. Uluwatu No waste goes into the sea these days, and in the future, no dirty water will be "
For more on the Eco Surf Rescue Uluwatu or to donate, visit their page or go to their website :. Http: //www.ecosurfrescue.moonfruit.com